"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon . . . "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32 . . . . . Our Website is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, please be patient!

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Friday, September 14, 2018

~ By James FireFor two
thousand years the church of the LORD Jesus Christ has had the blessed
opportunity for a rich, fulfilling life that is not of ourselves but of Christ
Himself. We partake of this life through the Holy Spirit that indwells us by
means of the atonement of the Lamb of God, Jesus of Nazareth when He offered up
Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, and then rose from the dead, conquering
over sin, death and hell on our behalf.

Additionally,
we also partake of this blessed life through the Word of God, the Holy
Scriptures that equips and directs us into a life of godliness:

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That
the man of God may be perfect [complete], thoroughly furnished [equipped] unto all
good works.

2 PETER 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

By the
Spirit of God, and the Word of God we saints have everything we could possibly
need for a Christian life in this fallen world. The Omniscient (all-knowing)
and Omni-present (existing in all places and all times) God has reviewed the
world in all its history, from Day 1 to Day nth and considered every situation,
challenge, issue, problem and circumstance that we as human beings could
encounter and provided answers for us in the Scriptures according to the wisdom
of God.

Yet in the
past couple of centuries, and specifically in our day, an infiltration into the
church by vain philosophies of mankind, according to earthly wisdom (1 COR 2:4-7,13-14), has occurred. Two
of these that I want to address in this article are: Secular Humanism and Psychology.

Renaissance
Humanism began during the 15th century among the intelligentsia
among the more prominent scholars and philosophers of Europe.

Secular
Humanism is something that sprang up in the late 19th century, and
ratified in the 20th century in the Humanist Manifesto I (HM I):

“The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs throughout the modern world. The time is past for mere revision of traditional attitudes. Science and economic change have disrupted the old beliefs. Religions the world over are under the necessity of coming to terms with new conditions created by a vastly increased knowledge and experience. In every field of human activity, the vital movement is now in the direction of a candid and explicit humanism.” Since the writing of this manifesto, two others have emerged, the last produced in 2003.

Among the beliefs held by Humanists is the self-sufficiency of humanity based upon his inherit goodness and knowledge, to comprehend, engage and overcome any and all obstacles that stand in the way of the furtherance of mankind towards the ideals of perfection and harmony among all peoples.

Four of the fifteen affirmations made
in HM I are as follows:

FIRST:
Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.

SECOND:
Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a
result of a continuous process.

EIGHTH:
Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to
be the end of man’s life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here
and now. This is the explanation of the humanist’s social passion.

THIRTEENTH:
Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for
the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation,
control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the
enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly,
religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and
communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in
order to function effectively in the modern world.

In these four tenets we view the
Humanist perspective that evolution, apart from any supernatural instigation or
guidance is responsible for the creation of all life.

We also understand that, according to
Humanism, the Human being himself is the center of all existence, meaning,
purpose and that the fulfillment of man is central to the purpose of his being.

A dear friend of mine lamented when he
listened to Christian radio and saw these assertions throughout the statements
made in the programming:

That God’s intention is the happiness
and fulfillment of mankind.
That the LORD Jesus Christ died on the cross for the purpose that we live
fulfilling lives.
That the Bible is a book that instructs us how we may be blessed (and have our best life now) in life.

The central focus of too many
teachings, books, videos, etc. that all purport to be ‘Christian’ is the
fulfillment and happiness of the believer.

And it seems more and more professing believers and church-goers are endorsing the ‘scientific evidence’ for
evolution, theistic evolution, old earth theory and other belief systems that
run counter to the explicit, literal view of the Scriptures account of
creation.

Contrary to what may be promoted on
Christian radio and other media, the Christian faith is not about you. Or me. It’s not about us and our
fulfillment and happiness; it’s about Christ Jesus and the fulfillment of His Holy will and the promotion of His kingdom
(not ours!). “Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” (LUKE 11:2)!

Certainly and of course every Christian will know fulfillment as we abide in
Christ (JOHN 15:1-5). Happiness is
transitory and doesn’t last long, but joy is a far greater gift and available
to every Christian, and may flourish despite any happenings, circumstances and
occurrences. Happiness is a human emotion, whereas biblical joy is a fruit of
the Holy Spirit (GAL 5:22).

Due to the ever-increasing flow of
propaganda in our schools which supports evolution now as scientific fact,
and not theory, this belief system is carried over into our churches. The youth
that attend both grow into adulthood, assume leadership positions in the
church, and denigrate the idea of creation as a direct action of God Almighty,
preferring instead the ‘scientifically proven’ tenets of evolution.

Russ Miller of Creation ministries recently spoke at our church and made the shocking statement that only 2% of
pastors now currently holding positions in our churches today believe in the
biblical account of creation; that the vast majority believe in some form of
theistic evolution or even the secular version!

Humanism has certainly invaded the church!
For an excellent treatment of this insight, please watch the following summary
video Ten Shekels And A Shirt (7:14
min) by Paris Reidhead

Scripture states emphatically that
Jesus Christ is the centrality of the Christian’s life, that we allow Christ to
live out His life through us and that
we die to self, to carry our cross in
denial of self (GAL 2:20; LUKE 14:27)
– and all of self that this entails: our
own ambitions, our own dreams and
desires, our own ideals and
philosophies and follow the LORD, loving and serving Him even if it means our
personal detriment, persecution or even death.

The other diabolical infiltration I
want to address will take up the remainder of this article, and that is the
philosophy of “science falsely so called” (1
TIM 6:20), namely psychology.

The following are excerpts from Biblical Discernment Ministriesarticle:

PSYCHOLOGY –
SCIENCE or RELIGION?
I recommend that you read the entire article at the link provided above: excellent material
and a thorough treatment of this subject!

What William Law wrote two centuries
ago is even more evident today:
"Man needs to be saved from his own
wisdom as much as from his own righteousness, for they produce one and the same
corruption."

Psychology is a subtle and widespread
leaven in the Church. It has permeated the entire loaf and is stealthily
starving the sheep. It promises far more than it can deliver and what it does
deliver is not the food that nourishes. Yet multitudes of professing Christians
view psychology with respect and awe.

Now, when we speak of psychology as
leaven we are not referring to the entire field of psychological study, such as
valid research. Our concern is primarily with those areas that deal with the
nature of man, how he should live, and how he can change. These involve some
values, attitudes, and behavior that are diametrically opposed to God's Word.
We will see, therefore, that psychoanalysis
and psychotherapy have no compatibility with the Christian faith.

FOUR MYTHS ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY

Among professing Christians, there are
four major myths about psychology which have become entrenched in the Church:

The first major myth is common to Christians and non-Christians alike:
that psychotherapy (psychological counseling along with its theories and
techniques) is a science -- a means of understanding and helping humanity based
on empirical evidence gleaned from
measurable and consistent data. Not true!

The second major myth is that the best kind of counseling utilizes both
psychology and the Bible. Psychologists who also claim to be Christians
generally claim that they are more
qualified to help people understand themselves and change their behavior than
are other Christians (including pastors and elders) who are not trained in
psychology. Also, not true!

The third major myth is that people who are experiencing
mental-emotional behavioral problems are mentally
ill. They are supposedly psychologically sick and, therefore, need
psychological therapy. The common argument is that the doctor treats the
body, the minister treats the spirit, and the psychologist treats
the mind and emotions. Ministers, unless they are trained in psychoanalysis
and psychotherapy, are then supposedly unqualified
to help people who are suffering from serious problems of living. Again, not
true!

The fourth major myth is that psychotherapy has a high record of
success -- that professional psychological counseling produces greater results
than other forms of help, such as self-help or that provided by family,
friends, or pastors. Thus, psychological counseling is seen as more effective
than Biblical counseling in helping some Christians. This is one of the main
reasons why so many professing Christians are training to become
psychotherapists. Quite untrue!

IS PSYCHOLOGY A SCIENCE?

Psychology, and its active arm of
psychotherapy, have indeed adopted the scientific posture. However, from a
strictly scientific point of view, they have not been able to meet the
requirements of true science.

In attempting to evaluate the status
of psychology, the American Psychological
Association appointed Sigmund Koch to plan and direct a study which was
subsidized by the National Science
Foundation. This study involved eighty eminent scholars in assessing the
facts, theories, and methods of psychology. In 1983, the results were published
in a seven-volume series entitled Psychology:
A Study of Science. Koch describes the delusion in thinking of psychology
as a science:

"The hope of a psychological science became indistinguishable from the
fact of psychological science. The entire subsequent history of psychology can
be seen as a ritualistic endeavor to emulate the forms of science in order to
sustain the delusion that it already is a science."

Koch also says, "Throughout psychology's history as
'science,' the hard knowledge it has deposited has been uniformly negative."

PSYCHOLOGY AS RELIGION

Explanations of why people behave the
way they do and how they change have concerned philosophers, theologians,
cultists, and occultists throughout the centuries. These explanations form the
basis of modern psychology. Yet psychology deals with the very same areas of
concern already dealt with in Scripture.

Since God's Word tells us how to live
(2 PET 1:2-4), all ideas about the
why's of behavior and the how's of change must be viewed as religious in
nature. Whereas the Bible claims divine revelation, psychotherapy claims
scientific substantiation. Nevertheless, when it comes to behavior and
attitudes, and morals and values, we are dealing with religion -- either the
Christian faith or any one of a number of other religions, including secular humanism.

Nobelist Richard Feynman, in
considering the claimed scientific status of psychotherapy, says that "psychoanalysis is not a science"
and that it is "perhaps even more
like witch-doctoring."

Carl Jung himself wrote:

"Religions are systems of healing for psychic illness. ... That is why
patients force the psychotherapist into the role of a priest and expect and
demand of him that he shall free them from their distress. That is why we
psychotherapists must occupy ourselves with problems which, strictly speaking,
belong to the theologian."

Both Jung's and Freud's positions are
true in respect to the world's religions, but they are also anti-Christian. One
denies Christianity and the other mythologizes it.

Repudiating the God of the Bible, both
Freud and Jung [searched] for alternative understandings of mankind and
alternative solutions to problems of living. They turned inward to their own
limited imaginations and viewed their subjects from their own anti-Christian
subjectivity.

The faith once delivered to the saints
was displaced by a substitute faith disguising itself as medicine or science but
based upon foundations which are in direct contradiction to the Bible.

"The basic ingredients of
psychotherapy does not always involve repression." He points out that
while psychotherapy does not always involve repression, it does always involve
religion and rhetoric (conversation). Szasz says very strongly that "the human relations we now call
'psychotherapy,' are, in fact, matters of religion -- and that we mislabel them
as 'therapeutic' at great risk to our spiritual well-being."
Elsewhere, in referring to psychotherapy as a religion, Szasz says:

"It is not merely a religion that pretends to be a science, it is
actually a fake religion that seeks to destroy true religion."

TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Although all forms of psychotherapy
are religious, the fourth branch of psychology -- the transpersonal -- is more blatantly religious than the others. Transpersonal psychologies
involve faith in the supernatural -- something beyond the physical universe.
However, the spirituality they offer includes mystical experiences of both the
occult and Eastern religions.

PSYCHOLOGY PLUS THE BIBLE

The Church has not escaped the
all-pervasive influence of psychotherapy. It has unwittingly and eagerly
embraced the pseudo-scientisms of psychotherapy and has intimately incorporated
this spectre into the very sinew of its life. Not only does the Church include
the concepts and teachings of psychotherapists in sermons and seminaries, it
steps aside and entrusts the mentally and emotionally halt and lame to the
"high altar" of psychotherapy.

Many Church leaders contend that the
Church doesn't have the ability to meet the needs of people suffering from
depression, anxiety, fear, and other problems of living. They, therefore, trust
the paid practitioners of the pseudo-scientisms of psychotherapy more than they
trust the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Because of the confusion between
science and pseudoscience, Church leaders have elevated the psychotherapist to
a position of authority in the modern Church. Thus, any attack on the
amalgamation of psychotherapy and Christianity is considered to be an attack on
the Church itself.

Although the Church has almost
universally accepted and endorsed the psychological way, there are Christians
who have not. Dr. Jay E. Adams of the Institute for Nouthetic Studies says (note, TTUF does not necessarily agree with
everything stated in this site):

"In my opinion, advocating, allowing and practicing psychiatric and
psychoanalytical dogmas within the church is every bit as pagan and heretical
(and therefore perilous) as propagating the teachings of some of the most
bizarre cults. The only vital difference is that the cults are less dangerous
because their errors are more identifiable."

The early Church faced and ministered
to mental-emotional-behavioral problems which were as complex as the ones that
exist today. If anything, the conditions of the early Church were more difficult than those we currently
face. The early Christians suffered persecution, poverty, and various
afflictions which are foreign to most of the twentieth-century Christendom
(especially in the West). The catacombs of Rome are a testimony to the extent
of the problems faced by the early Church.

If we suffer at all, it is from affluence and ease, which
have propelled us toward a greater fixation on self that would likely have
occurred in less affluent times. However, the cure for sins of
self-preoccupation existed in the early Church and is just as available today.
In fact, Biblical cures used by the early Church are just as potent if used
today.

The Word of God and the work of the
Holy Spirit are applicable to all problems of living and do not need to be superseded
by talk therapies and talk therapists.

Has the modern Church given up its
call and obligation to minister to suffering individuals? If so, it is because
Christians believe the myth that psychological counseling is science when, in
fact, it is another religion and another
gospel.

The Bible contains the only pure truth
of God. All else is distorted by the limitations of human perception. Whatever
else one can discover about God's creation is only partial knowledge and
partial understanding. It cannot in any way be equal to God's truth.

To even hint that the often-conflicting
theories of such unredeemed men as Freud, Jung,Rogers etc. are God's truth is to undermine the
very Word of God.

The revealed Word of God does not need the support or help of
psychological pronouncements. The Word alone stands as the truth of God. That
psychologists who call themselves Christian would even use such a phrase to
justify their use of psychology, indicates
the direction of their faith.

The statement "All truth is God's truth" is
discussed in the popular "Christian" publication, Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology. The
book claims that its contributors are "among the finest evangelical
scholars in the field." In his review of this book, Dr. Ed Payne,
Associate Professor of Medicine at Medical College of Georgia, says, "Almost certainly the message of the book and
its authors is that the Bible and psychological literature stand on the same
authoritative level."

Payne also states:

"Many pastors and laymen may be deceived by the Christian label of this
book. Such psychology presented by Christians is a plague on the modern church,
distorting the Christian's relationship with God, retarding his sanctification,
and severely weakening the church. No other area of knowledge seems to have a
stranglehold on the church. This book strengthens that hold both individually
and corporately."

Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology merely reflects what the Church has come to
accept: Unscientific, unsubstantiated, unproven psychological opinions of men
have now been leavened into the Church through the semantic sorcery of "All truth is God's truth." The
equating of psychology and theology reveals that the leaven has now come to full loaf.

THE GOSPEL OF SELF

One of the most popular themes in
psychology is that of self-fulfillment. Although this is an extremely popular
theme, it is a theme of recent origin, having arisen only within the past forty
years [late-1940s] outside of the Church an in the past twenty years with the
Church itself.

As society moved from self-denial to
self-fulfillment, a new vocabulary emerged which revealed a new inner attitude
and a different view of life. The new vocabulary became the very fabric of a
new psychology known as humanistic psychology. Its major focus is
self-actualization and its clarion call is self-fulfillment. And
self-fulfillment, with all its accompanying self-hyphenated and self-fixated
variations such as self-love, self-acceptance, self-esteemand self-worth, has become the new
promised land. Then as the Church became psychologized, the emphasis shifted
from God to self.

"Christian" books began to
reflect what was accepted in society. Some examples are Love Yourself; The Art of
Learning to Celebrate Yourself; Loving
Yourselves; Celebrate Yourself; You're Someone Special; Self-Esteem: You're Better than You Think;
and probably best known, Robert Schuller's Self
Esteem: The New Reformation.

For an excellent refutation of Schuller's Self Esteem false gospel, read this article by LET US REASON ministries.

Books and examples of a psychological
self-stroking mentality are numerous. The teachings of self-love,
self-esteem and self-worth have been gleaned from the world rather than from Scripture.
They are products of humanistic psychologists rather than the truth of God's
Word.

Numerous are the examples of
"Christian" psychologists who are ordained ministers. They begin with
a desire to Christianize psychology and end up psychologizing Christianity. Dr.
Richard Dobbins, founder and director of Emerge
Ministries, is one example of the many ministers who have turned to
psychology.

In his teaching film The Believer and His Self-Concept,
Dobbins leads the viewers through a series of steps to end up chanting, "I
am a lovable person. I am a valuable person. I am a forgivable person." In
Dobbins' exercise is found the confusion between the Biblical fact that God
loves, values, and forgives His children and the humanistic psychological lie
that we are intrinsically lovable, valuable, and forgivable. If we have one
iota of loveliness, or one iota of value, or one iota of forgivability, then it
makes no sense that Christ should have to die for us.

God has chosen to set his love upon us
because of His essence, not because of ours, even after we are believers. His
love, His choice to place value upon us, and His choice to forgive us are by
His grace alone. It is fully undeserved. It is not because of who we are by
some intrinsic value of our own or by our own righteousness.

The paradoxical, profound, and
powerful truth of Scripture is that though
we are not intrinsically lovable, valuable, or forgivable, God loves, values,
and forgives us. That is the pure theology of Scripture and the overpowering
message of Christ's death and resurrection. The Biblical truth is better
presented as: "I am not a lovable
person. I am not a valuable person. I am not a forgivable person. But Christ
died for me!"

CONCLUSION

The Church exists in a hostile world.
If its members do not reject the philosophies of the world they will reflect
them in their lives. If we are friends with the world (its religions,
philosophies, psychological systems and practises) then we must seriously ask
ourselves why we do not heed Jesus' words:

JOHN 15:18-19If the world hates you, keep in mind
that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its
own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world. That is why the world hates you.

Obviously, if we do not heed His
words, it's because we don't believe His words. The Church has been called to
reflect Jesus, not the world. Even though we are in the world we are not of the
world. Thus, every ministry of the Body of Christ must be Biblical and must not
attempt to incorporate worldly philosophies, theories, or techniques.

Jesus is "the way, the truth, and
the life," not Freud, Jung, Adler, Rogers, Maslow, Ellis, or any other
man. A church that does not seek the Lord as its source but relies on the
philosophical and psychological ideas and techniques of men will become as
secular as the world. Such a church may indeed have a form of godliness, but it
has denied the power of God. It has established man as its god.

As the Body of Christ, we need to pray
for cleansing. We need to pray for pruning. We need to seek His face with
diligence. We need to put off the old (all that is of the world, the flesh, and
the devil), and put on the new (all that is in Jesus Christ).

Let us therefore drink from the
springs of living water that flow from Jesus rather than the broken cisterns of
psychological systems.

This concludes this article, an
abbreviated treatment from the article PSYCHOLOGY – SCIENCE or RELIGION?

For more information on this, consider
the following resources:

Watch these two videos by Martin and Deidre Bobgan:

Another ministry that has dealt extensively
with this issue of Psychology, particularly when it’s been inducted and
incorporated into the church is The BEREAN CALL, which has also co-labored together with the Bobgans in getting
the truth out.

The following link will bring you to a series of articles by TBC
and will prove to be valuable resources for those who wish to examine this
issue in detail. In addition to various articles published from 2006 – 2014, you can
also read a series of Q & A
involving this pertinent issue as well as book recommendations on this subject and radio
programs.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." II Timothy 3:1-7 – The Bible

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